Demon Handlers
'Demon Handlers' '' Purpose: To ward against the encroachment of supernatural Things into this world by whatever means necessary. ''Doctrine: ''The Demon Handlers fight fire with fire. They have discovered a unique, supernatural means by which they can effectively combat supernatural creatures. It's not pleasant, but it's very much a case of the ends justifying the means. ''Membership: ''The mortals of the Demon Handlers tend to be drawn in for the same reason people are drawn to the Guardians of the Door - a brush with the supernatural that opens their eyes to what's really out there. For obvious reasons, the medical community is represented particularly strongly. They look for a strong stomach and the resolve to do what is necessary in potential members. 'Benefits' • The Demon Handlers tend to be wealthy, and wealth breeds wealth. Those who are not well off benefit from friends who will readily take care of little expenses, and those who are well off benefit from stock tips and investment advice. The character receives a free dot of the Resources Merit. •• Many Demon Handlers are involved in the medical profession, but all are expected to be familiar with the workings of the body on both a mystical and a physical basis. The character receives a free dot of the Medicine skill. This is the highest level Ghouls may reach. ••• The Demon Handlers possess a unique and limited form of blood sorcery - something that would undoubtedly be anathema to a wide variety of both vampires and mortals if they were to be found out. It provides these ordinary humans with access to supernatural power, but requires the sacrifice of human organs. The character gains access to Haruspicy, at a cost of twenty Beats for each dot. •••• The Demon Handler's status in the cult raises their standing with the medical community with which they are so entwined. The character gains three free dots which may be distributed between Allies (Health) and Status (Health). ••••• Not everyone understands the good work the Demon Handlers do, or the necessity of the sacrifices they make. The very highest-ranking Handlers know how to motivate the cultists, receiving the Inspiring Merit free of charge. 'Haruspicy' Historically, haruspicy has referred specifically to the practice of using internal organs as a means of divination. The Demon Handlers have broadened the term: a Haruspex is one who uses human organs to enact magical effects. Though they are not aware of it, Haruspicy has much in common with other forms of blood magic. Its four branches mirror four of the five Themes - Haruspicy provides no access to the Creation Theme. A form of symbolic magic, it works by applying the physical functions of mortal flesh to supernatural phenomena. '''Cost: '''Any use of Haruspicy costs a point of Willpower, as well as the sacrifice of the relevant organ - though this organ does not have to belong to the Haruspex. '''Dice Pool: '''Manipulation + Medicine + Haruspicy. '''Successes: '''There are no existing rituals for Haruspicy. It is always improvised, though this is a limit of imagination rather than one intrinsic to the form. Characters may create their own rituals if they choose. The target number of successes are equal to that of the level of the desire effect plus any ritual factors. This target number must be matched by the organs sacrificed, with each organ being worth a number of successes equal to its rating (so a thyroid gland is worth two successes, while an eye is worth four). Divinatory Haruspicy • The prostate and clitoris may be used to divine what a target wants or is afraid of. They must always be used in tandem, and the ritual always returns the most important information first. They are commonly used to discover a creature's bans or banes. •• The thyroid may be used as a time release mechanism, allowing a ritual to be performed in advance so that the benefits apply when they are needed. It is added to other rituals rather than used on its own. ••• The spinal cord may be used as a warning system, allowing foresight into whether something is a good or bad idea and giving commensurate bonuses to future actions. •••• An eye may be used to grant altered vision such as arcane sight, ghost sight, or the power to see through illusions to what is really there (contested as a Clash of Wills). ••••• The nose may be used to see through time. Its use in a ritual can show a past event, though never a future one. Destructive Haruspicy • An adrenal gland may be used to upgrade something's damage capacity so that it does lethal damage even to a supernatural creature. •• The stomach may be used to make a substance toxic, but only if it is used for an 'unnatural' purpose, that being a purpose other than the one for which it was created. Targeted blood could be made poisonous to someone who drank it, for example, but it would not be harmful simply rushing through the veins and performing the business of life. A rosary might be made to burn someone who touched it, but it would not harm someone intending to pray. ••• A lung may be used to reduce a target's Resistance attributes, rendering them 'out of breath' (Stamina), 'take their breath away' (Composure), or making them need to 'take a deep breath' (Resolve). This alters the dice pool available to the target, but not not derived statistics such as Health or Willpower. •••• The brain may be used to sap a target's Willpower. ••••• The pancreas may be used to weaken Power or Finesse Attributes. Its inherent regulatory functions mean that no Attribute may be rendered lower than the lowest in its category. A target with Intelligence 2, Strength 4 and Presence 3 may therefore have its Strength and Presence lowered to 2, the value of its lowest Power Attribute (providing the ritual is sufficiently powerful), but not to 1. Protective Haruspicy • Bone marrow may be used to hasten the healing of bashing damage in living flesh. Marrow from at least three major bones is required as a sacrifice. •• Skin may be used to grant armor bonuses. The flayed skin from an entire human body is required as a sacrifice. ••• A kidney may be used as a filtration system, to trap something or impede passage. As a more creative use, it can be used to block the bliss of the Kiss or the bond of the Vinculum. •••• The spleen may be used to heal lethal damage in living flesh. ••••• The liver may be used to cleanse the subject of supernatural effects, including the Vinculum, Conditions imposed by Discipline use, and addiction to mystical substances. Transformative Haruspicy • The hypothalamus may be used to regulate effects on the target, bringing things back to a base-line condition. This grants a new roll to oppose an affect. If successful, the affect ends. It has no effect on things that did not initially allow a resistance roll. •• The heart may be used to instill or alter emotion in a target, and to grant Willpower above the normal maximum. It cannot specify the direction of this emotion: a target may be made 'angry', but the Haruspex has no control over how this anger is expressed. Conversely, the Haruspex cannot direct the target to fall in love with her, but it may be made 'loving'. ••• The tongue may be used to lay a blessing or a curse on a target, granting them 9-agains or removing 10-agains. •••• The intestines may be used to remove mystical nourishment from a substance, so that a vampire receives no Vitae from the blood of the target or a demon is unfulfilled by its target host fulfilling their Vice. ••••• The pituitary gland may be used to control the urges that drive a target, such as their ban or bane. It cannot alter those endemic to the species such as a vampire's intolerance to sunlight and fire, but it can change those that vary between individuals within that species. 'Source''' ''Urban Legends, ''pp 27-29. Category:Mystery Cults Category:Demon Handlers Category:Translations Category:Unique Disciplines Category:Blood Sorcery Category:Cults